Wait Till Morning
by isnani
Summary: Molly Weasley cries as she thinks about his son's reaction to the bad news.
1. Wait Till Morning

**WAIT TILL MORNING  
**Beta thanks to _Maerda_.

"Gone! All gone! There's nothing left in that house. All three of them… dead!"

Mrs. Weasley listened as Mundungus and Remus gave their accounts of the event that took place at the Muggle house. Placing her head in her hands, she sobbed. How could this have happened?

It was nearly three in the morning. Everyone was asleep in the dark house of 12th Grimmauld Place. Those awake were only the adult members of the Order, excluding Fred and George.

It had only been an hour since they received the news. The Grangers. Dead. All three of them. Their house was burnt to the ground. The only remnant left was Hermione's wand, which had probably rolled away when she tried to defend herself. The Aurors had found their dead bodies in three separate rooms. Hermione had been tortured the most. The Aurors believed that not only was she raped by the Death Eaters, but she was also given the 'Crucio' curse a number of times. Several Aurors were being sent to take care of the Muggles living in the area.

"How could this have happened, Arthur? They were innocent!"

"I know, dear. But Hermione was a target after all. We just didn't think they'd do it so soon."

Molly Weasley had always thought of the Granger girl as one of her children. Never could she have guessed that she would loose her so easily. The plump old woman wiped more tears from her eyes as she straightened up. "I think I'm heading up."

Her husband nodded and gave his wife a swift kiss on the cheek before letting go. Still sobbing, she slowly climbed up the rickety stairs of the old house. The figures in the paintings watched as she walked along the quiet corridor. Some giving her confused looks while the rest slept on.

She stopped at her son's door. Trying her best to not make any noise, she carefully opened the wooden door.

And there he was, sleeping so peacefully on that ragged bed by the-boy-who-lived. She watched as his chest heaved up and down, in tuned with his breathing. So innocent was her child. How could she bear watching him react to the news a few hours from now?

A few more tears rolled down her cheeks as she carefully sat on his bed, gently brushing his copper red hair away from his eyes. Her son stirred at the touch, but nonetheless went on sleeping. She snorted softly. Why were all the Weasley men such heavy sleepers?

Her heart contracted yet again as she continued watching her youngest son. She could not help the loud sob that escaped. She knew her son would take the news badly. Unbeknownst to them, Hermione and Ron shared a deep bond. Bending down slightly, she kissed her son's forehead.

It was then that she felt her hand grazed something glossy. It was a picture sticking out from under his pillow -- a picture of a girl. Instantly her hand flew to her mouth as more tears flooded her vision. It was a picture of a lonely Hermione Granger, sitting under a tree by the Hogwarts Lake, knitting what seemed to be a scarf.

Mrs. Weasley could not help but smile through her tears. She always knew Ron had feelings for the girl. Ever since the summer after his fifth year, Ron complained about his friend's unshapely hats and scarves. Mrs. Weasley had told him that it was a good thing that Hermione knitted, since she needed someone to continue her Weasley jumper tradition. She hadn't thought that her thick son would get the hint, but she did catch his ears reddening.

"Mrs. Weasley?"

Her head turned towards the voice, surprised at the intrusion of her memory. It was Harry. Harry Potter. He was in a sitting position on his bed, his hand clutching his spectacles.

"What's wrong?" He stared at the picture in her hand. Recognition passed his face as his eyes snapped back to her.

The old woman sniffed and moved over to the other boy's bed. "Come here, dear."

As the boy complied, Mrs. Weasley placed a loving kiss on his forehead. She debated whether she should break the news to Harry at that moment. She knew that Harry would again blame himself, so she decided to let the boy rest for now.

Heaving a deep sigh, she stood up and replaced the picture under Ron's pillow.

"Go to sleep, dear."


	2. Morning News

_A/N: Finally, the requested chapter of this fic is completed. Like I stated before, I had intended this piece to be a oneshot, but since many of you reviewed for a sequal… well, below is the result. Hope you like it._

**Morning News**

Morning at the Grimmauld Place was a quiet affair, mostly perhaps the 'children' were still asleep in their beds; everyone except Ginny Weasley that was.

Having finally had her morning bath, Ginny trudged down the old staircase only to bump into her brother, Charlie Weasley.

"Ow! Charlie, that hurts!"

Her overtly freckled brother merely grinned down at his younger sister, with a quick ruffle of her hair, greeting her to the new day, before skipping down to the kitchen. She rolled her eyes before heading down to the kitchen herself. Upon meeting Charlie again, she sarcastically asserted, "Your concern touches me."

Their mother soon appeared from the back of the kitchen, carrying a basket full of eggs. "Ah! Ginny! Glad to see you up. Do go and wake Ron and Harry, dear."

"Mom, I just got down!" she whined.

"_Now_, Ginevra!" Molly Weasley screeched, earning a snicker from Charlie.

Grudgingly, she climbed up the old stairs again. The corridors were dark despite the bright sun shining outside, and as she stroll along, figures in the portraits up the walls were greeting each other a 'good morning'.

Finally reaching the room in the far corner, she peered in the slightly ajar door. Snores could be heard from the two occupants. Heaving a sigh, she marched in as loudly as she could, hoping that that itself would wake the boys up.

The trick somehow only worked on the raven haired boy, Harry James Potter. But his roommate, otherwise her unfortunate sibling, Ronald Weasley, was still in a deep slumber, snoring loudly with his mouth agape.

"Morning, Harry."

"Morning, Ginny," he replied, not quite meeting her eyes as he fetched his pair of spectacles from the bedside table.

"Help me wake this oaf," she pointed at Ron. "Aye, Ron! Wake up, you big dope," she nudged her brother, but it only made the Weasley lad stir. Sighing, she turned to face Harry and said, "Watch this. RON! A BIG, HAIRY SPIDER'S UP YOUR LEG!"

Instantly, her redhead brother sprung out of bed, panic on his face as he slapped his own body everywhere, trying to get rid of the inexistent creature.

"Ha! Works all the time. Get up. Mom wants you boys down for breakfast."

With that, she headed back down to the kitchen, leaving a scowling Ronald Weasley. She was surprised to see almost everybody in the house already seated at the dining table; Remus, Charlie, Bill, Fluer, Tonks, the twins and her parents. "Ron and Harry will be down soon."

By the next hour, everyone was digging into Molly's delicious breakfast. Harry, Ron and Ginny found it strange however since nobody ever stayed put for breakfast that long. Moreover, everybody except them three were not speaking much. Perhaps the absence of Mrs Black's portrait was one of the factors – They found a way to eliminate her, except the frame since it was stuck with the Permanent Sticking charm. But since Sirius was long gone, they felt it was alright to destroy the tormenting painting by setting it to aflame whilst she was asleep, since it was an oil-based art.

"Ron, Harry, Ginny…" Remus started, almost startling everybody, "We're afraid, we've got some bad news for you."

This caught the three teenagers' attention. But before their ex-professor could continue, Mrs Weasley broke into sobs, seeking an embrace from her husband.

"Mum, what is it?" asked Ron, concern etched in his voice. The question only made his mother's sobs louder.

"It's… It's Hermione, Ron," replied Arthur Weasley, patting his wife on the shoulder.

Ginny gasped aloud and since Ron had immediately gone all pale and quiet at the sound of the name, Harry thought it was his turn to say something. "What about her, Mr Weasley? Is she alright?" he asked, though looking at Remus.

Harry was presented a familiar, beautifully carved wooden stick in response by Remus, but it was Ron who took it, stroking it lovingly as he looked up for more explanation, dread in his appearance.

"We couldn't save them, Ron. It happened all of a sudden," started Remus, but Ron just continued looking at him, his expression almost blank. The only sound that emitted from the table was the sobs coming from Molly Weasley.

Each of the Order members gave their reckonings of the tragic event that happened last night. All through the explanation, Harry had his eyes on the shaking mother on the other end of the table.

She could have told him. She could have told him last night…

There was a sense of dire that surrounded the dining room as everyone finished giving their accounts. The silence was terrible. But it seemed, most of the people on the table were directing most of their apprehensive looks at Ron who throughout the whole conversation had kept quiet.

Harry found that he could not look at him. For some reason, the idea of looking at his redheaded best friend seated right next to him scared him. Hermione, dead. Not just dead, she was tortured mercilessly by those bastards. And it was all because of him. She would be up and alive if she hadn't been close to Harry Potter.

The sound of a dragging chair broke the loud silence. It was Ron. He had stood up and left straight to his room upstairs. Mrs Weasley who apparently had stopped crying watched her son with red, blotchy eyes.

The next distraction came from George Weasley as he coughed aloud, bring all the attention to him. "Well, we have said what there is left to say," said Bill.

"How can you just say that, Bill!" Ginny's shriek stunned everyone on the table. Harry noticed tears had collected in her eyes. She was crying. "You know what Hermione means to Ron. She's the one, Bill. And there you go, '_We have said what is left to say._' How insensitive can you get!"

"Ginevra," warned her father.

"Dad, you know what this means, don't you? Ron will be alone all his life. It's part of the curse. All us Weasleys know that. I thought _you_ especially will know that. So how can your eldest son be so casual about his own brother's disastrous hereafter!"

"I-I'm sorry, Gin. I was just trying to start up a conversation," Bill claimed, looking most apologetic.

The young girl huffed, stomping away from the crowded table, muttering, "Way to start a conversation."

As she left, Arthur Weasley heaved a heavy sigh, and rested his head in his hands. Time by time, the room cleared off, until the only remaining people were Harry and Charlie Weasley.

The desire to voice out his curiosity burnt inside him. What was that all about? What curse was Ginny talking about? He wanted to know so badly, but he felt that if he wanted to know more about it, he had to do it privately, as it seems like it was a private family matter.

Charlie who was starring at his fists on the table let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Poor Ron…"

Not standing the confusion any longer, Harry asked, "Why were you people so worried about him? I mean.., I know the bloke loves her loads and all, but what was Ginny on about just now?"

The Weasley brother merely turned his head at him before running a freckled hand through his short amber hair. "Harry, we Weasleys are cursed men from the start. The whole lot of us, we're known as the blood traitors. I think you already know that."

"But –"

"It's not because of our financial status… I mean, yeah well, not _only_ the financial part, but there's another major curse put upon us."

Harry looked at him to continue on; curious to know about this supposed untold information.

"It's love. I know it sounds cliché. But yeah, love it is. That's the Weasley curse. It can be both a miracle, and yet can be a catastrophe at the same time. We Weasley men love only once, Harry. It doesn't happen again and again like some people could. When a Weasley found his one true love, he either lives with them throughout the rest of his life or be alone his entire life. Our hearts are cursed to love only one in a lifetime. That's why we Weasleys marry only the one we love truly. But the worst part of the curse is when the love is unrequited or death before marriage. A Weasley man can go as far as insanity if either one happens to their loved one. We -"

"What will happen to my best friend then, Charlie? Will he be alright?"

"He will never be alright, Harry. Try as he might, the memories of Hermione will haunt him for the rest of his life. He'll bleed, and hurt. It's all part of the Weasley curse."

xxx

He could not believe it. His best friends… One dead, whilst the other was better dead than alive. A soul-less and grieving Ron was the last thing he needed right now. Curse you Tom Riddle. May you rot in hell!

He cracked open the wooden door to the room he shared with Ron as quietly as possible. There he found his friend, sitting by the window looking up to the bright noon. The sun was as bright as ever, but the atmosphere in the room felt as it was enveloped in total utter darkness.

"Ron…" he called timidly.

He was shocked to find a trace of blood flowing down his friend's nostrils. He was already hurting. When Charlie said Ron would bleed, he honestly did not think he meant it literally.

Clutched in Ron's hand were the picture of the girl he'd only love and her wand. At the sight, Harry's heart felt for his love-deprived friend. How could this happen to him?

"I love her, Harry."

It was a mere statement ; a simple four word statement which stabbed Harry straight into his heart. The guilt he felt from those words was overwhelming.

"I'm sorry, Ron." Ron just simply shook his head.

In all honesty, Harry was unsure how to act in front of his best friend anymore. Ron had been so impassive since the conversation earlier that morning. It was a side of Ron which really terrified Harry. Ron was always full of life, but to see him so dead inside spooked him.

It was a sudden sob which forced Harry out of his reverie.

"I didn't even get to tell her."

"She loved you, Ron," Harry replied as he made a grab onto the nearest towel in the room. The blood flowing from Ron's nose was now dripping.

Gingerly, he helped wiped the blood off his inert friend. But the next thing he knew, Ron dropped down to the ground wailing in pain.

"It hurts. It hurts so bad," the redhead said in between gasps as he clutched the left side of his chest. For a moment there, Harry thought it was something he did, but as Ron continued wailing, he found that the scene frightened him. Ron was now struggling for breathe.

"_HERMIONEEEEE!"_

Rushing straight to the door to run out for help, Harry found that Ron's parents including the twins were just about to knock. "Mr Weasley, it's Ron! He seems like he's in a fit!"

Arthur Weasley nodded solemnly before sprinting into the room. As he took his whimpering son off the floor, he uttered softly to himself, "It has begun."

**THE END**


End file.
